A few months ago, the highly publicized resignations by three IAS officers, created consternation in government circles. Kannan Gopinathan, an AGMUT cadre officer and Sasikanth Senthil, a Karnataka cadre officer resigned from service alleging the shrinking space for dissent in the country. They had cited the clampdown in Jammu & Kashmir as the reason for […]

Gujarat is the go-to state for the Modi sarkar when it needs more trusted hands at the Centre. In the days of Narendra Modi, babus from the state have a disproportionate presence in the capital. Following Mr Modi’s long stint in Gujarat as chief minister, many of his favoured babus slowly followed him as he […]

In the Modi era, babus seem to be increasingly reluctant to serve in Dilli. In fact, the government has admitted that the number of IAS officers appointed on central deputation is the lowest in five years, as reported in this column (Nov 12). To reverse the trend, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has […]

Babu watchers expect a reshuffle at the top level in the Finance Ministry in the coming weeks. It has been necessitated after G.C. Murmu, who headed the Department of Expenditure in the ministry, was appointed the first Lt Governor of Jammu & Kashmir after it became a union territory. Further, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar is […]

From now on, civil service trainees will have an additional role under the Modi sarkar’s “Nurture the Future” programme, which was started recently. Under the programme, civil service probationers of the 2019 batch will have to adopt adolescents and mentor them throughout their educational and professional lives. The government has reportedly identified 425 children from […]

It wasn’t too long ago when babus used to vie for a stint at the Centre. But in the Modi era, babus seem to be increasingly reluctant to serve in Dilli. In fact, the government has admitted that the number of IAS officers appointed on central deputation is the lowest in five years. According to […]

The Modi sarkar has despatched peremptorily Rina Ray, Secretary School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, to her parent UT cadre. The order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Ministry of Personnel, stated that the panel had approved the repatriation of Ray, a 1984-batch IAS officer, to her parent cadre with […]

After criticism from the Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant over the slow progress on overhauling of railway stations, a stung Railway Ministry has swung into action, which is probably what the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) wants anyway. In a letter to Railway Board chairman V.K. Yadav, Mr Kant panned the prolonged delay in a station […]

It’s not the heaven-born alone who feel their turf is being trodden upon in the Modi sarkar. The IPS officers too are losing their ‘superior’ sheen. The recent unexplained removal of advisor to the Ministry of Home Affairs, R.K. Mishra within days of receiving an extension, seems to be part of this situation. The ministry’s […]